I read allot of post that mention baiting, and was wondering what you consider baiting..Now for the record I am not against baiting. That said I feel that any food source weather it be planted (foodplot) or placed for the sole purpose of attracting animals as baiting, and again I see nothing wrong with either...I have used bait for bear, but that is illegal here now a shame it is...

This thread is going to fire a lot of people up, cant wait for the fall out. Any form of attractant that pulls deer to your location is baiting. corn apple piles food plots deer scents... I say use em all..

doesnt matter if you can scoop em up does it you are planting something to attract the deer to your location sounds like baiting, you can call it a food source if it makes you feel better. Not saying food plots are bad I planted 4 this year.

Then why not call oak flats, ag crops, apple orchards, etc, a baited area then? It does matter if you can scoop up the bait, when your setting out just enough apples, or corn every morning to feed the deer in the daytime only,so you can come back to hunt there after a month of baiting. Deer can visit a food plot at anytime, from any direction. They don't have to walk around a diversion to present a broadside shot at a set point under your stand. I will call food plots a feeding source/ area because thats what plots are, the deer isnt sticking it's head into a bucket to feed. [8|]

c'mon guy deer can visit a bait pile anytime from any direction also nobody said anything about having a trough, or a diversion. Yes food plots are food sources but you are implying that because you planted the plot that it is not somwhat like baiting you planted that plot soley to get deer to come to your location so you can shoot them. oak flats and apple orchards are good places to sit because why there is a lot of food for the deer (bait) why else would you sit there not to just look at the trees. I have baited in the past I dont anymore but that doesnt mean I am against baiting.. Food plots are a better source of nutrition but be real what is the main reason you plant them, to kill deer off them.

In NY it is any food source or salt that is carried to any area that could be consumed.... to attract the animals you intend to hunt....I don't concider food plots baiting...for one thing niether deer I took here at home last year was over a food plot...NY doesn't concider them baiting ...I have 24 stands...and 12 plots....the deer I hunt have free will and can travel any place they want....I've sat near a plot for hours upon hours and not seen a deer come in...but also seen deer by pass our land to go straight for the corn I know some hunters illegally put out near thier stands...I plot because I like to keep animals in my area....to keep from being shot or at least hope not to be shot...and get great pics of a variety of animals....I also like the work it takes to grow thingsand take pride in improving my land.....

c'mon guy deer can visit a bait pile anytime from any direction also nobody said anything about having a trough, or a diversion. Yes food plots are food sources but you are implying that because you planted the plot that it is not somwhat like baiting you planted that plot soley to get deer to come to your location so you can shoot them. oak flats and apple orchards are good places to sit because why there is a lot of food for the deer (bait) why else would you sit there not to just look at the trees. I have baited in the past I dont anymore but that doesnt mean I am against baiting.. Food plots are a better source of nutrition but be real what is the main reason you plant them, to kill deer off them.

Its all in good conversation man dont get so worked up.

I plot to maintain herd health, believe it or not I havent killed any deer over my plots ever. I hunt different trails in the woods leading to the cover where the deer bed. Haven't you seen 20 acre bean field plots before? That is no different then hunting over a AG crop...yet you call that bait? Your also telling me that a natural oak flat is bait? While yes their is a lot of food, there is also alot of places to eat that food. No one is making the deer enter or exit a plot or oak flat at a certain feeding spot to consume the food source. I don't think you really know the difference between bait, and a natural or ag food source. Bait is salt blocks or food placed by a baiter for taking deer illegaly while hunting over such bait that is being consumed by wild deer. Bait is placed in a 4-5 ft area, and if done correct, only enough bait is placed each day for deer to feed during the daytime leading up to the hunt , otherwise the deer feed on the bait at night. Bait is also hauled into area's with trucks or containers and dumped in a certain area for deer to feed at , then the baited area is hunted illegaly. Food plots are not illegal in IL, yet bait is against the law to hunt over. P.S. If I get "worked up" you'll see this emote----> [:@]

any form of attractant is bait,rattling,scents ,apples acorns,salt,mineral licks foodplots,agricultural crops,oak flats these are all baits.i dont consider them all to be baiting though

"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." - Fred Bear